Program Information

The Department of Philosophy offers graduate degree programs leading to the M.A. and the Ph.D. degrees in Philosophy.

Graduate students enjoy a supportive community. Teaching assistants are provided with shared office space, and most graduate students participate in organizing a yearly conference, the Southeast Graduate Philosophy conference (for more information, see http://www.phil.ufl.edu/seg).

Admission to either program requires either a bachelor’s degree in philosophy or sufficient course work in philosophy as determined by the department. Applicants to either program are evaluated on the basis of their academic record, GRE scores, three letters of recommendation, a statement of purpose, and a writing sample. Students admitted into the Ph.D. program who do not already have an M.A. in Philosophy must complete the coursework requirements for the M.A. as part of their first two years of full-time enrollment in the Ph.D. program.

General Program Information

All graduate students must take in their first fall semester of enrollment the Graduate Proseminar (PHI 5935 Proseminar (3 cr.)), an intensive workshop requiring regular writing and presentation of philosophical papers; they must also take in that first year the foundational course on Graduate Logic (PHI 5135 Graduate Logic (3 cr.)). These two critical courses help ensure success in the core curriculum, which is designed to provide a thorough grounding in the three main divisions of philosophical work: history, value theory, and the various areas known together as M&E (“metaphysics and epistemology”).

Additional core courses include surveys in ancient philosophy (PHP 5005 Ancient Philosophy I (3 cr.) and PHP 5015 Ancient Philosophy II (3 cr.)), in modern philosophy (PHH 5405 Modern Philosophy I (3 cr.) and PHH 5406 Modern Philosophy II (3 cr.)), ethical theory (PHI 5665 Ethical Theory (3 cr.)), epistemology (PHI 5365 Epistemology (3 cr.)) and foundations of analytic philosophy (PHP 5785 Foundations of Analytic Philosophy (3 cr.)).

M.A. Program Information

The M.A. degree requires 36 hours of coursework, which can be completed in two years by registering for 9 credits each fall and spring semester. Distribution requirements mandate a selection of core courses and 6000-level seminars, while electives make up 6 hours of coursework. Requirements include an oral Final Exam administered by a group of faculty selected by the Graduate Studies Committee.

Ph.D. Program Information

The Ph.D. requires 90 credit hours, which may include 36 used for the M.A., additional courses at the 6000-level, 3 proposal research hours, 12 doctoral research hours, and the successful completion and defense of a dissertation. In completing the Ph.D. advanced students will normally have an opportunity to teach their own undergraduate courses under the supervision of faculty as well as to work as a Teaching Assistant in many other courses.

Funding

Funding for graduate students is provided primarily by Teaching Assistantships. Newer teaching assistants assist with lower level courses (such as Introduction to Philosophy and Contemporary Moral Issues) and more experienced teaching assistants may assist with more advanced courses. M.A. students who have demonstrated exceptional teaching capabilities may have the chance to teach their own course during the summer after they have completed all course requirements for the degree. Advanced Ph.D. students more regularly get these opportunities, during the fall and spring semesters as well as the summer.

Some funding for supporting graduate student travel to conferences is available.

Further Information

For more information about the department in general, see its website at http://phil.ufl.edu.

More details about the M.A. and Ph.D. programs, their requirements, policies, and procedures, may be found at http://phil.ufl.edu/grad/grad-program.html.

Prospective students can find detailed information on the admissions process at http://phil.ufl.edu/grad.html?page=prospective.

Questions and requests for help can be directed to the Graduate Coordinator, who may be reached at gradcoord@phil.ufl.edu.

Degrees Offered with a Major in Philosophy

• Doctor of Philosophy
  • without a concentration​
  • concentration in Ethics of Technology
• Master of Arts

Requirements for these degrees are given in the Graduate Degrees section of this catalog.

Philosophy Courses

Philosophy Departmental Courses

Philosophy (PHD)

SLO 1     Specialist Knowledge     
Acquire specialist knowledge of one or more recognized major subfields in philosophy, understood to include the following areas, divided into the three broad categories of history, theoretical philosophy, and matters of value: history (ancient, medieval, modern, 19th century, 20th century); theoretical (metaphysics, epistemology, philosophy of science, philosophy of mind, philosophy of language); value (normative ethics, meta-ethics, aesthetics, political)

SLO 2     Original Advanced Research        
Pursue an original and sustained line of philosophical research that results in a contribution to the body of philosophical knowledge

SLO 3     Professional Presentation           
Produce original research and prepare it in a way that makes it adequate for presentation at a professional conference

SLO 4     Professional-level Course Design and Teaching    
Design, teach, and manage an undergraduate course in philosophy entirely on one's own

Philosophy (MA)

SLO 1     Core Competence           
Identify, describe and explain key aspects of ancient Greek philosophy, the modern era (1600-1900), and core areas of contemporary philosophy

SLO 2     Formal Logic       
Employ and understand the tools of contemporary formal logic, including first-order predicate calculus and a substantial portion of meta-logical theory

SLO 3     Research Skills  
Read and comprehend contemporary philosophical work, present such work to others, analyze and critically evaluate the arguments therein, and formulate one's own position clearly and defend it in the context of philosophical discussion

SLO 4     Teaching Skills   
Present philosophical material in a lucid and concise fashion to audiences of varying backgrounds, lead discussions of philosophical material in a way that encourages clear and original thinking about the issues, and assess undergraduate work in philosophy classes, including grading written work for clarity of expression, comprehension of material, and cogency of argument